Systems and Methods for Selectively Activating Virtual Guide Geometries

1. A method for selectively activating a virtual geometry, comprising: establishing a plurality of virtual geometries, each virtual geometry having a target feature and being available to be activated to guide an instrument to the target feature by restricting movement of the instrument within the confines of the virtual geometry; displaying the plurality of virtual geometries on a display to a user; receiving user input selecting a virtual geometry from the displayed plurality of virtual geometries; and activating the selected virtual geometry; wherein two or more of the plurality of available geometries overlap at an overlapping region, and wherein the selective activation of the virtual geometry based on the user input prevents forces associated with a first virtual geometry from interfering with forces associated with a second virtual geometry while the instrument is in the overlapping region.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising tracking a position of a reference point of the instrument; wherein receiving user input selecting a virtual geometry from the displayed plurality of virtual geometries comprises receiving user input positioning the reference point of the instrument within a threshold distance of a target feature; and wherein activating the selected virtual geometry comprises activating the virtual geometry associated with the target feature.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the instrument is positioned within threshold distances of two or more target features, activating the selected virtual geometry comprises: determining a distance between the reference point and each of the two or more target features; and activating the virtual geometry having the closest target feature.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forces associated with the first virtual geometry and the forces associated with the second virtual geometry provide haptic feedback to the user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of virtual geometries are virtual haptic geometries configured to provide haptic feedback to the user.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: automatically activating a virtual geometry based on a tracked position of a reference point of the instrument; receiving user input indicating a preference to deactivate the automatically activated virtual geometry; and in response to the user input indicating the preference to deactivate the virtual geometry, deactivating the automatically activated virtual geometry.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual geometries is associated with a surgical step to be completed, and wherein the deactivated virtual geometry can be reactivated after the surgical step associated with the virtual geometry activated based on the user input is completed.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: automatically activating a virtual geometry based on a tracked position of a reference point of the instrument; wherein the selective activation of a virtual geometry based on the user input overrides the automatic activation of the virtual geometry.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: tracking a position of a reference point relative to the target feature of the selectively activated virtual geometry; and after determining that the reference point has reached the target feature, deactivating the selectively activated virtual geometry.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: tracking a position of a reference point relative to the target feature of the selectively activated virtual geometry; and after determining that the reference point has reached the target feature and that the reference point is not within a threshold distance of an engagement point, deactivating the selectively activated virtual geometry.

11. A computer-assisted surgery system, comprising: a processing circuit configured to establish a plurality of virtual geometries, each virtual geometry having a target feature and being available to be activated to guide an instrument to the target feature by restricting movement of the instrument within the confines of the virtual geometry; a display configured to display the plurality of virtual geometries to a user; an input/output device configured to receive user input; and a tracking system configured to track a position of a reference point of the instrument; wherein in response to the input/output device receiving user input selecting a virtual geometry from the displayed plurality of virtual geometries, the processing circuit is further configured to activate the selected virtual geometry; and wherein two or more of the plurality of available geometries overlap at an overlapping region, and wherein the selective activation of the virtual geometry based on the use input prevents forces associated with a first virtual geometry from interfering with forces associated with a second virtual geometry while the instrument is in the overlapping region.

12. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 , wherein in response to the input/output device receiving user input positioning the reference point of the instrument within a threshold distance of a target feature, the processing circuit is configured to activate the virtual geometry associated with the target feature.

13. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 12 , wherein when the instrument is positioned within threshold distances of two or more target features, the processing circuit is configured to: determine a distance between the reference point and each of the two or more target features; and activate the virtual geometry having closest target feature.

14. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 , wherein the forces associated with the first virtual geometry and the forces associated with the second virtual geometry provide haptic feedback to the user.

15. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of virtual geometries are virtual haptic geometries configured to provide haptic feedback to the user.

16. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: automatically activate a virtual geometry based on the tracked position of the reference point; in response to the input/output device receiving user input indicating a preference to deactivate the automatically activated virtual geometry, deactivate the automatically activated virtual geometry.

17. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual geometries is associated with a surgical step to be completed, and wherein the deactivated virtual geometry can be reactivated after the surgical step associated with the virtual geometry activated based on the user input is completed.

18. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: automatically activate a virtual geometry based on the tracked position of the reference point; wherein the selective activation of a virtual geometry based on the user input overrides the automatic activation of the virtual geometry.

19. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 : wherein the tracking system is further configured to track the position of the reference point relative to the target feature of the selectively activated virtual geometry; and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to deactivate the selectively activated virtual geometry in response to determining that the reference point has reached the target feature.

20. The computer-assisted surgery system of claim 11 : wherein the tracking system is further configured to track the position of the reference point relative to the target feature of the selectively activated virtual geometry; and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to deactivate the selectively activated virtual geometry in response to determining that the reference point has reached the target feature and that the reference point is not within a threshold distance of an engagement point.